YORK, PA – Four Spartans reached double-figures Wednesday evening as the York College men’s basketball team registered a 77-62 defeat of Capital Athletic Conference foe Gallaudet from York’s Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center. The win, which helps keep the Spartans hopes alive for a bid into the CAC post-season tournament, pushes their record to 8-16 (6-9 CAC) while the Bison drop to 11-14 (2-14 CAC).
    A pair of Spartan front-court players posted stellar evenings as freshman forward Paul Kouvaris (Baltimore, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) and sophomore center Andrew Pawlyk (Bernville, Pa./Tulpehocken) paced the Green and White offensively. Kouvaris tallied a team-high 16 points on a 7-for-9 shooting performance and 2-for-2 at the stripe. Pawlyk’s night resulted in a career-high as the sophomore poured-in 15 points on an efficient 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the line.
    After a first half that saw the Spartans own a 42-33 lead at the break, the Green and White put together a solid performance throughout the latter 20 minutes, emphasized by two lengthy spurts. Following a couple Gallaudet scores to open the frame, the Spartans embarked on a 13-0 run over a 4:25 span as their lead increased to 18 at 57-39 with 12:53 to play. Junior guard Nick Brady (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) dropped in seven of his ten points during that spurt.
    The Bison then answered with a 6-point run of their own over the next 1:07, cutting the Spartan lead to 12. A Chi Pun layup, a Sekoe White free throw, and a Jon Mowl triple kept the Bison within striking distance.
    After the squads traded buckets, Kouvaris nailed a pair of free throws to kick-start another extended run for the Green and White. This time, York’s lead would stretch to as much as 19, their largest margin of the game, as Pawlyk converted a layup with 6:15 left to give the Spartans the 70-51 advantage.
    Gallaudet battled for the final six minutes but the Spartans managed to keep their lead in the high-teens, finishing with the 77-62 margin.
    For the game, the Spartans shot an impressive 58.2 percent from the floor on 32-for-55 shooting and canned 13-of-20 from the stripe. Surprisingly, York did not hit a three throughout the 40 minutes of action, going 0-for-8 from deep. Instead the Green and White focused inside as 48 of their 77 points came in the paint. The taller Spartans also hit the glass hard, out-rebounding their guests 41-27.
    The Bison went 24-for-58 from the field, 4-for-13 from deep, and 10-for-21 from the line. In total, Gallaudet shot 41.4 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from the stripe. The Bison also converted York’s 19 turnovers into 19 points.
    Pawlyk rattled home ten of his career-best 15 in the first frame to help build York’s nine point halftime lead. In addition to his career-high point total, the 6’6” sophomore also pulled down nine rebounds. Along with his 16 points, Kouvaris added five rebounds and four assists. Brady’s ten came via a 3-for-9 performance and 4-for-5 from the stripe while freshman point guard Julian Watson (Odenton, Md./Arundel) was the fourth Spartan in double-digits with ten points. Watson posted his ten on 4-for-9 shooting and 2-for-2 at the line. Junior forward Jeremy Keefer (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) chipped in with six points and seven rebounds.
    White led all scorers with 27 points while recording a double-double with ten rebounds. The senior went 9-for-21 from the floor and 1-for-3 from deep in his 40 minutes of action. White, who consistently went strong to the basket, shot 8-for-12 from the stripe. Junior Johnny Jackson tallied 13 points for the Bison and ripped five steals while senior Jon Mowl posted 11 points and six thefts.
    The Green and White next square off with Marymount in the final regular season date of the year this Saturday. With Hood’s defeat of Stevenson earlier this evening, a Spartan win over the Saints this weekend now equals a bid into the six-team CAC tournament. Tip-time in York is slated for 2:00 pm.

GAME BOX

Andrew Pawlyk photo courtesy of Steve Doemland